Lawton Eisenhower Eagles OK 2023 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the month of July and into August, we are publishing well over 100 in-depth team previews to get you completely ready for the 2023 football season. This is something that began in 2021 and has continued to get bigger every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champions, to top contenders and plenty of dark horses, we'll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A, all the way down to the addition of 8-man coverage this year with Class B and C. In this post, we take a look at the Lawton Eisenhower Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Lawton Eisenhower Eagles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: UR</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: UR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lawton Eisenhower Eagles are a very intriguing team to watch this season because based on some of the individual talent they have throughout the roster, this is a team that could definitely make some noise in Class 5A. Last season, a combination of inexperience and a brutal district schedule led to a 2-8 record and another season where the Eagles missed out on the postseason. They opened the year with two losses to Ardmore and Lawton MacArthur before beating Altus in week two. The only other victory would come in week seven when they beat Shawnee to avoid going winless in district play. But when you look at the district they were in last season, it's easy to see why a team would struggle. Not only did this district feature eventual champion Carl Albert, but the four playoff teams from this district swept their first round opponents and all four made it to the quarterfinals. It was by far the best district in Class 5A and the Eagles certainly struggled but we think they could turn things around heading into a new season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles return the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball and like we mentioned earlier, they have some individual talent we really like and it feels like only a matter of time before they put it all together. It's safe to say that several players on both sides of the ball are going to end up playing at the next level. Eight starters are back on the offensive side and that includes one of the top running backs in the state's 2025 class. We'll dive into him more under “Players To Watch” later but he has the potential to have an outstanding season with a strong offensive line paving the way. The defense also has a few players that we'll have our eyes on and the biggest key is to see improvement from this side of the ball. The defense struggled in some of their losses last season and just finding a way to get off the field should be the priority here. But like we mentioned, they have a few pieces on that defense that we really like. On paper, this team looks incredibly talented and ready to take the next step. The district is absolutely brutal. But it won't be surprising to see them in contention for one of the playoff spots in late October.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (2-8 Record - Missed Playoffs)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Lost To Ardmore 33-20<br>Sept. 2 - Lost To Lawton MacArthur 42-21<br>Sept. 8 - Beat Altus 36-21<br>Sept. 16 - Lost To Lawton 30-16<br>Sept. 22 - Lost To Carl Albert 41-0<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Bishop McGuinness 49-15<br>Oct. 7 - Lost To Piedmont 56-6<br>Oct. 14 - Beat Shawnee 17-12<br>Oct. 28 - Lost To Guthrie 37-0<br>Nov. 4 - Lost To Southeast 60-40</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Key Losses To Graduation</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaden Pierce - Linebacker<br>Malachi Byrd - Offensive Lineman<br>Ziaire Walton - Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["722170"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Leading off the players to watch is 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='722170' first='Jalen' last='Jones'] at the cornerback position. Jones has seen his recruitment really start to take off over the last eight months and he's become a prospect that could end up at the D1 level. Jones really impressed us this offseason when we got a chance to see him in action in some 7v7 tournaments. Jones is just a lockdown corner that has the potential to really earn more attention with another strong season for the Eagles. He also gave Lawton Ike a threat on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver. Last year, he finished the season with 15 catches for over 200 yards and three touchdowns but the priority will be defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["487628"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Lawton Eisenhower has a few standouts in the front seven in this 2024 class and [player_tooltip player_id='487628' first='Kingston' last='Tito'] at the linebacker position is one of them. Like Jones, Tito has seen his recruitment really start to take off since the end of his junior season. Tito was a game-wrecking player for the Eagles last season. He finished with nearly 50 tackles and five sacks. Like Jones, he would also turn around and play some offense and line up at the tight end position. At 6'2 and 235 pounds, Tito was an absolute load to deal with but his ability on the defensive side of the ball really stood out. We think that Tito could see his production go up even more this season and more schools will take notice.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["479394"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"The Eagles have a few 2025 prospects that you should know about as well and leading the group is [player_tooltip player_id='479394' first='Rashaud' last='Hurt'] at the running back position. Last season, Hurt had a good year with nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. As long as he stays healthy, we don't see any way he doesn't surpass that production with the offseason he's had. We got a chance to see Lawton Eisenhower back in May at a team camp and Hurt was the best running back in attendance. He's going to benefit from a strong offensive line but even when he has to make something happen on his own, he can do it. We're high on Hurt becoming another top running back in a loaded Class 5A this season.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64cc307e9fef3"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='587264' first='Aiden' last='Monigold'] - 2026 Athlete<br>Charlie Trachte - 2025 Quarterback<br>[player_tooltip player_id='876669' first='Jermaine' last='Veu'] - 2024 Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='472323' first='Milo' last='Wyatt'] - 2026 Offensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1159460' first='Serri' last='Sheridan'] - 2025 Defensive Back<br>TJ Jones - 2026 Defensive Lineman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 Schedule/Games To Circle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 25 - Ardmore<br><strong>Sept. 1 - Lawton MacArthur</strong><br>- There are quite a few “measuring stick” games that Lawton Eisenhower has in the first month of the season but we're going with the week one rivalry against Lawton MacArthur. The Highlanders are a preseason top ten team in Class 5A and we think they could potentially win their district championship. Bragging rights are on the line as the Highlanders doubled up the Eagles last season with a 42-21 win and both teams feature outstanding running backs that are among the best in their respective classes. A win here could give the Eagles a ton of momentum.<br>Sept. 8 - AT Altus<br>Sept. 15 - Lawton<br>Sept. 22 - AT Carl Albert<br>Sept. 28 - Bishop McGuinness<br>Oct. 6 - AT Piedmont<br>Oct. 13 - Shawnee<br><strong>Oct. 26 - Guthrie</strong><br>- By the time week nine rolls around, Lawton Ike is going to know exactly what they need in terms of making it to the playoffs when they host a Guthrie team that's ranked inside the top five in the preseason rankings. The top three teams in this district appear to be Carl Albert, Guthrie and Piedmont but that final playoff spot is going to be up for grabs. If the Eagles have put themselves in a good position for that final spot, an upset win here late in the season could vault them even higher in the district standings. Otherwise, they'll have work to do in week ten. <br>Nov. 2 - AT Southeast</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawton Eisenhower's 2022 football season was the first under head coach Javon Harris and in our opinion, he is breathing new life into this program and into the Lawton community as a whole. He's no stranger to Lawton as he played for Lawton MacArthur in the 2000's before being recruited to and playing for Oklahoma from 2009-2013. He returned home in the spring of 2022 to become Lawton Eisenhower's next head football coach after being an assistant coach down in the Dallas area. Harris knows what next level talent looks like and the Eagles have it. He's not only trying to help the Eagles win on the field but off the field as well. And Harris is determined to bring the whole town together and it doesn't matter what school a kid plays at, Harris is going to do what he can to get college eyes on him. And a big theme in this preview has been the next level talent the Eagles have. Harris knows what it looks like, he knows that he has it with this team and now the goal is to win games in the fall with those players before they head off to the next level.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Championship History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>1 State Championship&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1990 - Beat Putnam City North 35-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->